Penrith had a bizarre end to there season, rarely does a side score over 50 points and lose but this was no ordinary game. After losing the week before they still had a mathematical chance of qualifying for a play off place if Driffield lost at Bradford but that wasn't very likely. As it turned out they took a much changed side to Cleckheaton and although it contained some veterans in the shape of James Lund, David Preston and Mark Bowman it was not necessarily a much weakened side. In fact Bowman started the game in the second row and impressed that much before coming off with an injured arm he was most people's man of the match.
While Penrith were operating at near 100% capacity their young backs ran the home side ragged but once the side ran out of puff in the final quarter and possession dried up they were under the cosh and then fell away badly. It all goes to show rugby is now an 18 man game with the replacements on the bench as important as the starting 15. The front row usually get replaced and have a 15 or 20 minute spell on the touchline and come back rested but because of the nature of the side this wasn't really possible and it told as the game reached its climax.
It all started well enough although, Penrith launched the kick off straight into touch and the home side had a scrum on half way. The Penrith eight shunted the home pack off their own ball, Mike Raine was away and George Graham fed Jon Fell wide on the left who made ground before setting up the ruck. Graham made the clean break from the ruck and found Jay Rossi who's arching run saw him go over in the corner.
Penrith's defence was dreadful as they tired but it wasn't that good at the start of the game either as they conceded a try to a cross kick to the corner, then a penalty from almost half way and a second try as the home side scored from 1st phase ball in the corner.
Penrith at this stage were 13-5 down but came back into it when a quickly taken penalty, it was moved wide and found Brad Taylor in space, he ran a switch with Raine who went in next to the posts. Penrith seemed incapable of stopping the home side scoring once they got in their 22 and they scored a third try after winning a lineout following a penalty kicked to their 22, it was real end of season stuff.
The Cumbrians came back again when Liam Tunstall worked Rossi into space and he was able to pull in the last man and release Olly May down the touchline, the cover were after him but they couldn't offer to catch the young winger. The home side regained possession from the kick off but lost it forwards in the Penrith 22 and the visiting backs were away, Jamie McNaughton, Taylor and Rossi combined to set Fell away and they ran the ball in from almost the full length of the pitch. Another quick penalty taken by Graham saw the visitor's backs running riot, Taylor eventually releasing McNaughton who danced through the scrambling cover to score.
Poor tackling and failure to fetch their man to ground first time saw Penrith concede yet another try but they looked to have done enough as they scored an interception try either side of half time, Graham virtually ran the length of the field to score before the break and Fell from his 22 immediately after the break. At this stage Penrith led 45-28 but the game was far from over as the home side scored two unanswered tries as the visitor's defence looked more and more fragile as time went on.
Penrith increased their lead when Raine and Rossi got Fell into space and allowed him to use his pace, they then conceded another try before McNaughton got away out of his own 22, got into the opposition half before hoisting a cross kick into the home 22, Graham was on the chase and won the arm wrestle for the ball and the touchdown.
Penrith led at this stage 59-42 with quarter of an hour to go but were now dead on their feet and Cleckheaton picked them off and made at one time looked like a very unlikely comeback to win an entertaining game, they scored four unanswered tries as the clock counted down to claim the game.
Driffield did win at Bradford as expected or this final quarter meltdown would have been all the more painful.